Questions and Answers

Determine ahead of time—now—that you will say no. If you give in, it will be much harder to say no in the future. Most people will respect you for living up to your standards. And they will be less likely to ask you to partake in the future.

The scriptures teach that for us to exercise agency, there must be opposition—good and evil—in the world and that we must be “enticed by the one or the other” (2 Nephi 2:16). You do not need to occasionally give in to the enticement of wrong choices in order for your agency to be genuine. The ability to distinguish right from wrong is what’s important. You do not need to know both good and evil; you need to know good from evil—and then choose the good.

Many investigating the Church have been able to quit smoking when they learned about the Word of Wisdom. This change came not only because of their increased motivation but also because of spiritual blessings. The Lord blessed them to lose the desire to smoke and to gain the desire to be obedient.

Church standards, like those found in For the Strength of Youth, are based on doctrines, or eternal truths. For example, our bodies are the temples of our spirits (see 1 Corinthians 3:16). A standard based on that doctrine is the Word of Wisdom: take care of your body by eating good foods and avoiding addictive and harmful substances.